Hanna Clark of Rockwall was only 15 when she fatally shot herself, her parents have started a foundation, Hanna 4 Hope, in her memory

Rebecca Sedwick’s mom did everything right. The minute Tricia Norman knew her child was being bullied, she complained to the school. When the school failed to protect Rebecca to her satisfaction, she pulled her child out and transferred her to a new school. She got Rebecca counseling and psychiatric medical care. She closed Rebecca’s Facebook account and took her cellphone away. But she didn’t know that after she thought it was safe to return the phone with a new number, cyberbullying reared up again from her old tormenters on apps her mother wasn’t aware of — ask.fm, Kik and Voxer.

There is so much we don’t know about what causes a child — or anyone of any age — to commit suicide. Parents should be aware of cyberbullying and the new apps springing up like the ones that were so hurtful to Rebecca. We should also be aware of how common the risk of suicide is and how widespread the pain around us is.

Hanna Clark of Rockwall was only 15 when she fatally shot herself on April 25. Another teenager in Rockwall committed suicide a month later. Hanna’s parents, Tim and Raina Clark, are launching Hanna 4 Hope, a nonprofit that encourages communities to talk about teenage suicide and prevention, Tasha Tsiaperas reports for the Dallas Morning News. It kicked off with a 5K to raise suicide awareness in Hanna’s memory this month.

More than 38,000 suicides take place each year in this country, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. And it’s estimated that for each suicide, at least four to eight individuals grieve intensely. That grieving can lead to its own host of physical and mental problems, according to Dr. Sidney Zisook of the University of California San Diego, who is a lead researcher in a national study about how grief can lead to impaired functioning and disability as well as increased risk for cancer, cardiac disease, hypertension and substance abuse.

As I wrote in one of the many mental health stories that you can see on the Dallas Morning News Erasing the Stigma page, the bad news is that mental illness afflicts one in 5; the good news is it can be successfully treated.

But becoming aware of the signs of depression and getting successful treatment for it is harder than it sounds. That’s why I’m glad to see the exploration and conversation continue at Suicide Prevention & Surviving Loss: A Symposium for Clinicians, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and UT Southwestern Medical Center. The goal is to provide clinicians with education and resources about suicide prevention and suicide bereavement that can help both their patients and themselves.

It’s offered Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. at the Simmons Biomedical Research Building, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas. You can find out more about it at this link.

Lost all too often in the contentious debate about gun control is that the people most at risk for gun violence are the potential suicides.

An AP story in the front section of the Dallas Morning News quotes an Austin American-Statesman analysis of more than 250 gun-related deaths between 2010 and 2012, pointing out that in more than a third of the suicides, drugs for mental illness were found either in the person’s bloodstream or at the scene.

In another story by Tasha Tsiaperas on the cover of the Metro page, we read about two Rockwall students who killed themselves with guns recently. There was no evidence or history of mental illness in either case, just momentary despair in one of the two cases that led to a quick, final solution. After the death of Hanna Clark, 15, on April 25, her devastated, suffering parents found a possible clue on their daughter’s text messages — she had broken up with her boyfriend a day or two before.

Tsiaperas quotes Hanna’s father as saying: “There’s no doubt in my mind that this was an impulse suicide … It has been a nightmare, an absolute nightmare, because she was everything to us.”

The mother of Brianna Escobedo, 14, who died May 22, still hasn’t been able to find a reason. Neither child, adored by their families, left suicide notes.

The heartbreaking story at the center of the article is the suicide of Kameron Reichert, 17, of Dayton, Wyo., who had killed himself with his great-uncle’s pistol. A popular football player and good student with a bright future, he was upset when police officers found him with a pack of cigars. The officers told him he would need to come to court to pay a fine and his parents punished him by taking away his cellphone. What may seem like a small thing to everyone in retrospect was evidently big to him at the time. Like Hanna, he might have given in to a moment of despair. The easy access to a gun turned that moment into an eternity of despair for all who loved him.

The New York Times article provides a drum roll of numbers that show these situations are more common than many realize. Nearly 20,000 of the 30,000 deaths from guns in the United States in 2010 were suicides, according to the most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national suicide rate has climbed by 12 percent since 2003, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death for teenagers.

Suicidal acts with guns are fatal in 85 percent of cases, while those with pills are fatal in just 2 percent of cases, according to the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.

The article also notes that states with the highest gun ownership rates have the highest suicide rates. A coincidence?

If you do think it’s a coincidence, then you shouldn’t be troubled by a May Mother Jones story about a new study that finds that nearly 20 percent of young people between the ages of 10 and 21 who are considered to be at risk for suicide have guns in their homes.

In any case, two lovely, loving young girls from Rockwall are gone. When Rockwall ISD hosted a meeting on suicide in the fall, only seven parents attended, Tsiaperas quoted a district spokeswoman as saying. Now so many want answers, they have had to move a Tuesday talk about depression and suicide to a larger venue.

They will talk about the signs of depression and suicide prevention, something which can read more about in my story about the suicide of yet another teen, 19-year-old Grant Halliburton, who had everything to live for. His mother, Vanita Halliburton has since founded the Grant Halliburton Foundation to address mental health education and suicide prevention. Grant, it should be noted, did not use a gun; he jumped off a building to his death.

They probably won’t talk about guns at the Tuesday forum and the role they play in making suicide too easy and final an option for vulnerable young people. And guns are certainly not the only means available for those who consider suicide, as Grant’s situation demonstrates. But it’s worth looking at the statistics and asking the question of whether we can improve our children’s chances of survival by making the means of their destruction a little less accessible.

Missy Wall, a certified social worker and director of Teen CONTACT, a help line for teenagers, will attend and answer questions at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Rockwall High School Performing Arts Center, 1201 T.L. Townsend Drive in Rockwall.

My heart goes out to the survivors. I have written about being a friend of someone who committed suicide. It’s been decades and I will never stop thinking about Emily. There are no easy answers and no bringing back the people who are gone, just steps we can take from lessons painfully learned that we hope will make things better for others.

You can read more about suicide prevention and join the conversation at Erasing the Stigma, an ongoing Dallas Morning News project devoted to mental health.

Suicide warning signs

• Sense of hopelessness about the future

• Drastic changes in behavior or personality

• Uncharacteristic impulsiveness, recklessness or risk-taking

• Expressions of rage, uncontrolled anger, aggressive behavior

• Preoccupation with death, dying or suicide through writing, artwork or talking

• Giving away prized possessions

• Loss of interest in personal appearance

• Increased use of alcohol or drugs

• Withdrawal from friends, family and society

• Extreme anxiety or agitation; inability to sleep or sleeping all the time

• A recent severe stressor, such as real or anticipated loss of a relationship, unplanned pregnancy, victim of bullying or family conflict

Source: Grant Halliburton Foundation Offers programs that teach how to recognize the signs of distress or suicidal crisis in youths and find help. 972-744-9790

Additional resources:

Contact Crisis Line, with a general crisis line of 972-233-2233 and a Teen Help Line of 972-233-8336.

Texas Suicide Prevention Council: This group of local suicide prevention coalitions and statewide agencies partners with Mental Health America of Texas and the Texas Department of State Health Services on the Texas Youth Suicide Prevention Project. 1-800-273-8255

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Offers information and support on understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy and reaches out to those with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. 1-888-333-2377

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas: Offers programs to educate the public and promote the use of local and regional prevention, and recovery programs for mental health and preventing and treating mental disorders. 214-871-2420

National Alliance on Mental Illness: Offers access to services, treatment, research and mental health support. Click on NAMI Dallas for local programs including free support groups for those with mental illness and their families. 1-800-950-6264

PLAN of North Texas: Offers resources and services for adults with a serious mental illness and their families. 972-690-7526

askdrlloyd.com: Dr. Lloyd I. Sederer’s website answers questions from readers and offers blog postings aimed at helping people get the care they need to recover from a mental illness or addiction.

From left: Dr. Preston Wiles and State Rep. Garnet Coleman urged more funding for mental illness during the Erasing the Stigma: Mental Illness and the Search for Solutions symposium moderated by KERA

I’m thrilled to report that the Dallas Morning News now has a splash page devoted to the issue of mental health. At the conclusion of the remarkable symposium, Erasing the Stigma: Mental Illness and the Search for Solutions, moderator and KERA host and commentator Lee Cullum spoke eloquently of the need for the conversation to be a beginning rather than an ending. This page, I hope, will do just that with articles and resources devoted to helping readers understand mental illness and find resources.

The symposium, offered by the Dallas Morning News, KERA-FM (90.1) and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, sought to help Texans needing help in a state that ranks 49th in mental health funding, with Dallas County receiving less money per capita than many other Texas counties.

One thing everyone agreed on: in a state with limited resources, it’s vital to know where those resources are. And speaking of resources, here’s a few I’ve come with as a start. I welcome your thoughts on others we should add.

Grant Halliburton Foundation: Founded by Vanita Halliburton, this non-profit is named for her son, Grant, who suffered from depression and bipolar disorder, and killed himself in 2005 when he was 19. You’ll find a variety of programs on the site aimed at teaching people how to recognize the signs of distress or suicidal crisis in a young person and how to lead them to help.

Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas. Located in Dallas, they offer a 24-hour crisis line at 214-828-1000 or 866-672-5100 that allows callers to speak to a trained, caring counselor any time of the day or night. They take calls throughout the Metroplex as well as calls for two national crisis lines and offer a support group program facilitated by trained counselors for family and friends of those who have committed suicide. They will visit schools or businesses within 48 hours of a suicide, meeting with and counseling groups.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention This not-for-profit organization organization is dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas This organization offers programs designed to educate the public, encourage reform and promote the use of effective local and regional prevention and recovery program in the interest of promoting mental health, preventing and treating mental disorders with the help of advocacy, education, research and services.

National Alliance of Mental Health.This grassroots mental health organization offers local access to services, treatment and research and is committed to building a community for hope for those in need. Click on NAMI Dallas for local programs including free support groups for those with mental illness and for family members of those with mental illness.

PLAN of North Texas. This organization for families offers resources and services for those who have an adult member living with a serious mental illness.

Struck By Living. Julie Hersh of Dallas shares the story of her own struggles with mental health in her book by this name and provides information on upcoming events related to suicide prevention conferences and support.

The Family Guide to Mental Health Care by Dr. Lloyd I. Sederer, M.D. This book, aimed at anyone trying to navigate the mental health system for a loved one, will be available in April from W.W. Norton & Company. Dr. Sederer, a psychiatrist who is medical director of the nation’s largest state mental health system and adjunct professor at the Columbia/Mailman School of Public Health, draws on his own experience working with patients to teach families to recognize the signs and know what to do in the case of mental illness.

askdrlloyd.com. Dr. Sederer’s website invites questions and offers regular blog postings aimed at helping people get the care they need to recover from a mental illness or addiction.

For those still reeling and struggling to make sense of Lane’s tragedy in the last episode of Mad Men, I strongly recommend you read Daphne Howland’s article on men and depression — When being a tough guy isn’t the answer — in our special section on Men’s Health.

You’ll see that Lane’s struggles are, tragically, more common than they should be. As Daphne points out, men are four times more likely than women to commit suicide, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. At the same time, she refers to experts who say that the good news is that when men do seek help, treatment is just as effective as for women.

Lane had many of the classic signs:
*substance abuse (excessive drinking on his part)
*withdrawing from friends and family
*irritability
*lashing out
*financial gambles

The strength of Mad Men lies in how real the portraits are. Here’s hoping that Lane’s sad story becomes a wake-up call for others to see the signs in themselves or in those they love — and to seek help.